Vehicle-top.



W. W. STOLER.

VEHICLE TOP.

APPLICATION FILED APR-17.1916- l m fign Patented July 3, 1917.

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WARREN W. STOLER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

VEHICLE-TOP.

Application filed April 17, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be. it known that I, WARREN W. Sronnn, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inVehicle-Tops, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a vehicle top, and more particularly to anarrangement of. bows, bow sockets and fixtures by which a cover orcanopy for an automobile may be expeditiously set up or collapsed.

The object of my invention is to provide an automobile top embodyingcomparatively few bows articulated so as to be manipulated withconsiderable ease when setting up the top or collapsing the same. Thebows are proportioned and disposed whereby the top can be set up orcollapsed by one person without much exertion and in a great manyinstances with one hand.

Furthermore, the bows are proportioned and disposed to move in aprescribed relation when setting up or collapsing the top and withoutinjury to the material forming the. cover or canopy of the automobile.

The mechanical construction by which the above and other objects areattained will be hereinafter described and then claimed and referencewill now be had to the drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevationof an automobile top, partly broken away, illustrating the inner side ofthe top;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the top bows collapsed or folded, and

Fig. 3 is a plan of a portion of the same.

In the drawing, 1 denotes a portion of an automobile body having siderests 2 and side irons 3.

4t denotes a front bow pivotally connected to the side irons 3 and saidfront bow has a rear bow 5 and an intermediate bow 6. The ends of therear bow 5 are pivotalfy connected to the front bow 4 contiguous to thelower ends thereof, and the intermediate bow 6 has the ends thereofpivotally connected to brackets 7 mounted upon the rear edges of thefront bow 4:.

8 denotes brackets on the front edges of the front bow 4: and pivotallyconnected to brackets are the ends 9 of a break-clown or supplementalbow 10. The ends J of the break down how 10 are slotted, as at 11, ad-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1917.,

Serial No. 91,559.

jjacent the break-down or rule joint 12 of the 13 denotes side armshaving pins extending into the slots 11 of the break-down bow and therear ends of said side arms are curved or offset, as at 15, andpivotally connected to the intermediate bow 6, adjacent the pivotalconnections of said bow with the front bow.

16 denotes an outrigger or horizontal bow having the ends thereofpivotally connected, as at 17, to the forward ends of the arms 13, andsaid outrigger bow cooperates with the break-clown, front, intermediateand rear bow in supporting a cover or canopy 18 relative to the body 1of the automobile.

19 denotes inwardly projecting pins or .studs carried by the front bowat. These pins or studs are adapted to retain the side arms 13 aprescribed distance above the brackets 7 and 8, whereby the pivotalconnections between the rear ends of the side arms 13 and theintermediate bow 6 cannot fall below the pivotal connections between thebrackets 7 and the intermediate bow 6, thus preventing the intermediatebow 6 from folding toward the ends of the front bow 4;, particularlywhen folding or collapsing the top. The intermediate bow 6 is adapted tofold into parallelism with the upper or outer portion of the front bow1, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and the offset portions 15 of the sidearms 13 provide clearance for the pins or studs 19, while the slots 11of the breakdown bow provide suflicient clearance to enable the sidearms 13 and the ends 9 of the breakdown bow to be swung downwardly inparallelism with the ends of the front bow 4:, while the breakdown bowand the outrigger or horizontal bows are folded back as shown in Fig. 2.

The collapsing or folding of the top is easily accomplished by reason ofthe pins or studs 19 preventing the intermediate bow 6 from swingingdownwardly below its pivotal connections with the front bow 4, otherwiseit would be an extremely difficult matter to properly collapse or foldthe top. It is therefore apparent that the pins or studs 19 have a veryuseful purpose in connection with the top and it is obvious that thesesame pins or studs facilitate setting up the top, which in someinstances may be accomplished with one hand and very little exertion.

It will of course, be understood that the bows, arms and other parts ofthe top are correctly proportioned for easy manipulation andcomparatively small space when the top is folded, and While I haveillustrated one embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood thatthe structural elements are susceptible to such variations andmodifications as fall Within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is An automobile top comprising a cover, a front how, arear bow pivotally connected thereto, an intermediate boW pivotallyconnected to the rear edges of said front bow, a jointed bow pivotallyconnected to the front edges of said front bow and having the pivotedportions thereof longitudinally slotted adjacent the joint thereof, sidearms having offset angular ends pivotally connected to said intermediatebow, pins carried by said side arms and extending into the slots of saidjointed bow, a horizontal boW pivotal'ly connected to said side arms,and inwardly projecting stationary studs carried by said front bow abovethe pivots of said ointed and intermediate bows adapted to support saidside arms a prescribed distance from the pivotal connections of saidintermediate bow with said front how, the offset angular ends of saidside arms provid ing clearance for said studs so that said side arms maybe folded into parallelism With said front bow when said top iscollapsed.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

\VARREN \V. STOLER.

WVitnesses WVALCDER H. STAMERS, LOUIS W. SGI-IIMMEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe flommissionerof ZEfagen ts,

Washington, D. O.

